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My arthritis and I had a tiring but ultimately fulfilling day at ArmadilloCon 2015. We started with a night panel on Friday titled, “Badass, Babe, or None of the Above: Are Women’s Archetypes Evolving (or Not) in SF/F Literature.”

The verdict: Yes, they are. We touched on how our literature and our society was slowly getting more gendered as we moved through the 2000’s but how there seemed to be a push-back against that. We predicted we’d be seeing more women in literature taking on a variety of roles without any character feeling the need to point out their woman-ness.
On Saturday, I had a reading with my Broad Universe buddies, where I read from the first chapter of Thrall: Beyond Gold and Glory. There were some nods. I distinctly remember someone saying, “Sounds interesting.” :)

On Saturday night, I had “How Would Alien Life Affect Us?” We panelists were torn on this one. If we discovered alien microbes, we decided that most people probably wouldn’t care. But if we discovered intelligent life that we could recognize as intelligent, we all had a different predictions for what society might do. I said we’d seen so many alien disaster movies, that widespread panic might be in the cards.
Late Saturday, we talked about SF movies from last year and found we couldn’t agree on anything save that Mad Max: Fury Road was well worth the price of admission, and that most of us didn’t enjoy Jurassic World.

On Sunday, my friend Trakena Prevost and I spoke on a panel about “Writing Fiction from a Gender, Ethnic, Cultural, or Temporal Viewpoint Other Than Your Own.” We agreed that research is key, including talking to people of whatever viewpoint you’re trying to write from. I spoke a lot about writing a trans character in Thrall.

I also got two new prints from the art show and sold one book. All in all, a good showing for a small but very interesting con. I hope to come back next year.

My next stop is Women’s Week in Provincetown MA in October. I hope to see you there!

ArmadilloCon is this weekend in Austin, Texas at the Omni Southpark Hotel. Here’s where you can find me:

Friday the 24th at 10:00 PM-11:00 PMBadass, Babe, or None of the Above: How is Gender Evolving (or Not) in SF Literature?
Ballroom D
How have female characters been written in SF/F literature historically? Have these roles changed, and are new tropes emerging?

Saturday the 25th 2:00 PM-3:00 PMBroad Universe joint reading
Southpark A
A joint reading by members of the writers’ group Broad Universe “promoting science fiction, fantasy, and horror written by women.”

Saturday the 25th 7:00 PM-8:00 PMHow Would Discovery of Alien Life Affect Us?
Ballroom F
Do we run scared, work things out in the spirit of peaceful cooperation, or accept our new alien overlords?

Saturday the 25th 9:00 PM-10:00 PMSF Movies from Last Year
Southpark A
The good, the bad, and a few movies more

Sunday the 26th Noon-1:00 PMWriting Fiction from a Gender, Ethnic, Cultural, or Temporal Viewpoint Other Than Your Own
Ballroom D
What are the challenges of writing a character unlike yourself in a significant way? Are there benefits to creativity

There you have it! As well as me, there will be many talented writers including my good friend Trakena Prevost! If you’re in the area, I hope you can come by and see us!

I’m back from Denver, and that means now it’s time for Houston Pride! I’ll be there at Houston Pride on June 27th along with authors Carsen Taite, Laydin Michaels, MJ Williamz, and Tanai Walker. The booth will be in the park in front of city hall in downtown Houston. We’re pretty close to one of the entrances, and will have a double booth, so come and find us and buy some awesome books!

Count ’em. Two! First, find me at Denver Pride June 20th and 21st along with authors Merry Shannon and Jerry L. Wheeler. We’ll be at a booth located behind the center stage in Civic Center Park in downtown Denver. The festival is set out in a big square, so just keep going around, and you’ll spot us.

For both fests, look for the BSB banner and the tons of books for sale! I’ll have some great deals and some cool swag. Plus, BSB is sending some BOGO books to the Denver PrideFest that are sure to go quick. Come out and see us!

I know, Thrall: Beyond Gold and Glory isn’t even out yet, and I have my next two covers! Bold Strokes is on the ball.

Here’s my first, coming in 2016:

It’s the beginning of a the Godfall Series, a new science fiction series with quite the cast of lesbian, bi, and gay characters. It’s a lot of fun, so stay tuned. I’ll have more details for you shortly.

As for the next, also coming in 2016:

This one is a contemporary fantasy about a modern girl who travels to the Greek Underworld and meets the infamous Medusa. Romantic shenanigans follow.

I’m excited. I hope you are, too. Only four months until Thrall: Beyond Gold and Glory! In case you’ve forgotten what that cover is like:

And here’s the blurb for that one:

Like heroes from an ancient tale, Aesa and Maeve plan to raid foreign shores, claiming gold and glory for their homeland. Young and in love, neither considers what will happen if one is chosen to be a warrior, and the other is left behind.

On a mist-shrouded island, Aesa meets Ell, a woman enslaved by an insidious curse. Maeve walks the path of dark magic and finds Laret, a woman well acquainted with pain. Together, they must break the magic surrounding Ell, an act that will force them to choose between their dreams, their homes, and the women they love.

I have major leg pain today, friends, so the only blog I could write was about that. Insert massive amounts of cursing here. After I had an allergic reaction to Remicade, I had to switch to Cimzia. I don’t know if that’s causing the leg pain or what. I’ll keep you posted.

My RA is playing merry havoc this week, friends. I had an allergic reaction to the infusion medicine on Monday, so now I have to wait a month to start something new.

Which means the pain is slowly creeping back, so my typing might become limited to my writing and the occasional update on social media. This means my posts here will probably be brief, but you will hear from me often, and I hope to hear from you, too.